The Weight We Carry into Work
Helping your team find clarity in a chaotic world is a heavy lift—one you weren't meant to carry alone
The anxiety has been palpable here in Minneapolis for months—and it is almost certainly showing up on your team. Whether it’s economic uncertainty, social unrest, or the relentless news cycle, unprecedented events have a way of crossing the threshold into our workplaces. As a manager, you may be wondering: What am I supposed to do with this?
To lead effectively through tension, you must first measure how your team is actually experiencing these events. Second, you must act—quickly where possible and strategically where the issues run deeper. Third, you should enlist help, because you’re not immune to the same anxiety your team is carrying.
Measure the Impact—Don’t Assume
The most common trap for managers is gauging the team’s temperature by listening only to the loudest voices. Often, the quietest employees are the most affected. We can’t improve what we haven’t defined, and we can’t define it if we’re only hearing from half the room.
Some employees share readily in meetings; others would rather disappear than speak up in a group. Anonymous surveys help give those individuals a voice, and small focus groups can capture the nuance a survey might miss. Most importantly, prioritize one-on-one conversations to foster the kind of candor that rarely surfaces in group settings.
Act—Now and Strategically
Once you’ve listened, resist the urge to sit on what you’ve learned. Anxiety grows in the absence of action, and even small responses signal that concerns were taken seriously. If the news cycle is affecting morale, acknowledge it. You don’t need all the answers—pretending you do often makes things worse—but you must respond.
Think of this as a two-track approach. Track one is immediate—visible, human, and responsive. Track two is longer-term—data-informed and built to address systemic issues like communication gaps or culture. Both tracks are essential; one provides the "now," and the other ensures the progress is built to last beyond the current moment of unease.
Enlist Help—You Can’t See the Picture from the Inside
You’re not separate from the anxiety on your team. Managers are consistently reporting higher rates of burnout than their direct reports, carrying their own uncertainty while fielding questions they may not know how to answer.
Bringing in external support is not a sign of weakness; it is a sign that you understand you cannot support your team if no one is supporting you. Practically, an outside perspective removes the power dynamic. Employees often share things with a third party that they would never tell a manager, providing you with a "navigator" to help you see the road more clearly. Personally, an external consultant can guide you in which actions to take immediately, while also building strategic long-term solutions, giving you peace of mind and a sounding board.
The weight of this moment is real, but so is your capacity to lead through it with the right tools. WhyWork offers services designed to help you measure team sentiment, develop strategic responses, and build resilient cultures. From engagement interviews and leadership coaching to targeted workshops on burnout, the WhyWork approach is customized to what your team uniquely needs.
If your team is navigating a difficult moment, let’s talk. Visit www.whyworkllc.com to learn more or reach out directly at hello@whyworkllc.com.